Morning commute in Md. may be tough

By
Erica Johnston

Some streets in downtown Silver Spring may still be closed off during the morning commute Thursday, Montgomery County officials said.

The standoff at the Discovery Communications building ended Wednesday afternoon, when authorities shot and killed the man suspected of holding three hostages. But as of late Wednesday night, police were still searching for possible explosives left by the suspect, James Lee.

If the search continues through the night, the area around the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road is likely to be closed for at least part of Thursday morning, police officials said.

Late last night, three remote-controlled robots could be seen in the lobby of the Discovery building. One of the robots was about four feet tall and four feet wide. At one point, a robot picked up a cardboard box and shook out its contents.

The robots went in and out of the building, and two explosions could be heard, an indication that bomb technicians were dismantling devices outside.

About 11:40 p.m., at least two police officers wearing bomb suits entered the lobby, working around props that included a dinosaur head.